Following the fourth concert of the Philharmania – Because Once Is Not Enough series, at Kolarac (27 April), the audience rewarded the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra musicians, conductor Howard Griffiths and pianist Andrea Lucchesini with a long round of applause.
The Philharmania is a compilation of the most attractive programmes from the orchestra’s regular concert season, performed as pre-premiere concerts. The main theme of last night’s concert was love, as portrayed in the 20th century through the music of Prokofiev, Bartok and Shostakovich.
Firstly, love was given a comical interpretation in Prokofiev’s suite The Love for Three Oranges, based on the composer’s famous opera. Then it was considered from the prism of Bartok’s Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 3, which he composed as a birthday gift to his wife, performed by brilliant Andrea Lucchesini, only to receive a dramatic conclusion in Shostakovich’s film suite The Gadfly, which combines stories of war and love.
The audience delightedly greeted the musicians, and the special guests in this concert were students of all grades of the 1st Kragujevac Gymnasium, who were enjoying their first concert of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra.
Because once is not enough, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the same programme on Friday, 28 April as part of the regular season, within the series For Lovers. The practice of repeating the most attractive concerts will continue in the season 2017/18, with the idea to give a chance to more people to hear the orchestra’s concerts, which are always sold out.
